Missing sailors found - 'We didn't know...' product safety recall...neat trick to balance your mast...Panama Canal - the story of the dopey Labrador...and much more

There's TOO much information on the Internet, and much of it is wildly inaccurate. That's why we at Sail-World Cruising serve a valuable role for the cruising sailor, in bringing you responsible, up-to-date news, gathered into one easy to read format.

..and that news is sometimes vital to your interests (this week a product recall), sometimes merely amusing. There are stories of heroism and idiocy on the high seas, and everything from rally news to the latest technological advances, new inventions, stories of the ocean environment.

This week is no different. If you're interested in non-competitive sailing – just being out there in all that freedom and loving it – then you'll be interested in some of the tales of others doing the same.

Highlights this week include stories of sailors setting out to sail the North-West passage, some Filipinos in a traditional craft setting out for a circumnavigation and the hedonistic Treleavens with more gorgeous tales of their Caribbean experiences.

How to balance your mast the easy way, some mystery deaths of some cruising sailors in a well-known anchorage, the heroism of a quad female sailor doing things never been done before; ... and then there's the story of the Labrador – they were never renowned for their high IQ.

Read on, enjoy, and.....

Smooth sailing!

Nancy Knudsen, Cruising Editor

Missing sailors found: 'We didn't know what we were getting into..' Amber Lee, KSBY/Sail-World Cruising, Two novice Californian sailors who set off from California's Avalon Beach in a 27ft Coronado sailing boat on Thursday 4th June and triggered a search at sea covering over 22,000 miles and involving one aeroplane and two helicopters say they don't plan to stop sailing, and will set off again as soon as the citations against them by coast guard are satisfied.... [more]Onsend this story

Product Safety Recall: Garmin® BlueChart g2 and g2 Vision v2009 Media Services, Garmin, a global leader in satellite navigation, announced today that the company is conducting a voluntary product safety recall of the 2009 version of its marine cartography data card known as BlueChart® g2 and g2 Vision. The affected data cards have been sold between April 8, 2009 and June 3, 2009.... [more]Onsend this story

It's Official: UN declares 'World Oceans Day' for June 08 Nancy Knudsen, It didn't get the locals all steamed up around my way, but it's a start. The United Nations has declared June 8th as World Oceans Day, and organisations world wide are being encouraged to celebrate the day to preserve our oceans. Maybe World Oceans Day will make more of a 'splash' in 2010.... [more]Onsend this story

Ocean Watch - the big adventure-with-a-mission starts Nancy Knudsen, Ocean Watch, the Sailors for the Sea's Bruce Roberts sailing boat, long in preparation, has left on its voyage to circumnavigate the Americas. See previous http://www.one.sail-world.com/Cruising/Around-the-Americas--High-Adventure-with-a-Mission/51770!Sail-World_story. The steel cutter-rigged sailboat is on a one-of-kind mission to raise ocean awareness and spread environmental activism across tw... [more]Onsend this story

A neat trick to balance your mast Nancy Knudsen, Getting in the dinghy and eyeing off your mast is not the most accurate way to ensure that your boat is properly balanced, but balancing the mast is important to ensure that you go equally well on both tacks.... [more]Onsend this story

Brave quad Hilary rescued from Force 5 winds Walesonline/Sail-World, Quad sailor Hilary Lister has had to be rescued when she and her support boat were caught in Force 5 wind against tide conditions, the Royal National Lifeboat Instititute announced today. Hilary is trying to become the first quad sailor to circumnavigate Britain... [more]Onsend this story

Mystery Deaths of Cruising Sailors in popular anchorage La Estrella/Sail-World Cruising, Authorities are mystified by the deaths of two cruising sailors on their yacht Advayta at Amador, an anchorage at the Pacific end of the Panama Canal.... [more]Onsend this story

Yacht Silent Sound sets off to transit the North-West Passage BW Media, Today is the day that yacht Silent Sound is to depart from Victoria in British Columbia, Canada, to transit the North West Passage and bear witness to the signs of climate change. The name of the expedition is the Open Passage Expedition, and they want to reach the Beaufort Sea as the ice opens, which normally occurs in mid- to late-July.... [more]Onsend this story

Panama Canal Transit - the 'Flats' are open again Just as it is for ship traffic, the Panama Canal is a vital link for yachts wanting to transit between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Since the overnight demolishing of the long-standing Panama Yacht Club, which catered to the needs of transiting yachts, in March this year, Shelter Bay Marina on the far side of the bay has had a virtual monopoly - until now... [more]Onsend this story

Dominican Republic - changed regulations to stop bribery Sail-World Cruising, Dominican Republic, that 'other half of the Caribbean island of Haiti and long infamous for the bribery necessary for cruising sailors to check into the troubled country, has changed its rules to allow local marinas to carry out the procedures. This has been the result of a long campaign by marinas in the country.... [more]Onsend this story

Butuan boat ready to circumnavigate the world Striker_Jem, On June 5 after 40 days of construction, the now famous Balanghai (pronounced as Ba-la-ngay) Boat is complete, and will soon be transferred to Manila Bay on June 12, 111th Independence Day Celebration, after it finally sets sail on June 24 in time for the Araw ng Maynila.... [more]Onsend this story

'The Plastiki' on target for recycle journey Jeni Bone, As written about in Sail-World Cruising before, there are sad garbage patches in the the oceans of the world, the worst of which is the North Pacific gyre – detritus from the world's habit of throwing rather than stowing its non-biodegradable junk caught in the circular currents of the ocean. The resourceful Plastiki expedition to highlight the problem is on target to leave.... [more]Onsend this story

Letter from the Indies: Rio Dulce and Guatemala Andrea and Ian Treleaven, Andrea and Ian Treleaven finish their tales for the season of sailing in the Caribbean in their yacht Cape Finisterre: Our entrance over the shallow sandbar into the Rio Dulce is unexpectedly dramatic and the captain's blood pressure rises. Twelve yachts assume the spring high tide to be enough water to cross but three of us don't make it.... [more]Onsend this story

Graduates of Yacht Restoration School sail their creations IYRS/Nancy Knudsen, June 06 is 'Launch Day' for the non-profit International Yacht Restoration School in Newport Rhode Island, when graduates of the school will launch and sail the boats they have restored over the year to see how their workmanship fares under sail.... [more]Onsend this story

Hybrid remotely operated vehicle reaches deepest part of the Ocean Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, A new type of deep-sea robotic vehicle called Nereus has successfully reached the deepest part of the world's ocean, reports a team of U.S. engineers and scientists aboard the research vessel Kilo Moana. The dive makes Nereus the world's deepest-diving vehicle and the first vehicle to explore the Mariana Trench since 1998.... [more]Onsend this story

The tale of the Yellow Labrador - loyal, brave, but not very bright Labradors were always renowned for their bravery, loyalty and friendliness but never for their Mensa standard IQ, and a yellow labrador has just proved the reputation beyond all doubt by protecting his master's runaway yacht so well from coastguards that it ended up on the beach... [more]Onsend this story

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